Snow scraping machine



Oct. 4, 1 932. REMINGTON 1,880,984

SNOW SCRAPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 13, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENZ'OE JOSEPH zzwmarozv BY ATTORNEY Oct. 4, 1932. J. REMINGTON I SNOW SCRAPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 13. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 [NIKE/V701? JOSEPH REMINGTON Z ATTORNEY Oct. 4, 1932. J. REMINGTON SNOW SCRAPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 13, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 [1V VZN 7' O1? JOSZP REMINGTON ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1932 JOSEPH REMINGTON, F GAYLORD, MICHIGAN SNOW SCRAPING MACHINE Application filed February 13, 1931. Serial No. 515,446.

This invention relates to machines for removing snow from highways and pertains more particularly to snow scrapers carried by trucks which may be either self-propelled or actuated by tractors.

vide an improved mounting for the scraper blade, whereby the blade can be advanced along the highway with its loweredge paral- 'lel to the surface of the road-bed and close 0 to it, or at any desired height above it, or

the blade can be positioned with its outer' end elevated and its inner end close to the road-bed so as to scrape off the upper part ;0f the berm or bankiof snow that has been thrown to one side of the roadway by a snowplow, the scraping being done in suchmanner as to leave the top surface of the berm flat or sloped with any desired degree of inclie Ination either toward the pavement, or away from it.

The blade mounting mechanism also has the capability of hoisting the blade bodily to a considerable height to enable it to pass "over obstructions at the side of the roadway,

such as mail-box posts and the like.

The blade, when raised higher than the truck wheels, is capableof being swung into a position at one side of and parallel with dithe length of the truck so that the truck can be driven along the highway without obstructing traflic.

The blade is so mounted that it canbe raised and lowered while the truck is in mo- 3 Ztion and is thereby enabled to scrape the top from an embankment of snow that lines the side of the road for a long distance, say, a mile or more, regardless of the fact that the bank may be of considerable height in some 4 places and relatively small in other places. This ability of the blade mounting to adjust the height ofthe blade while traveling enables the machine to proceed forward under speed and scrape offdrifts without missing 5 part of the'work where the snow is of little depth. Thus by adjusting the blade during travel so as to keep it continually at work the snow-removing efficiency of the machine is greatly increased over that of a mere leveling scraper.

The objects of my invention are to pro-- and useful mechanical devices and lesser combinations of elements whereby the previously mentioned movements and adjustments of the blade can best be effected. These devices form the subject matter of certain claims. For example, the preferred embodiment of the machine includes a novel system of bracing from the blade to the chassis of the truck whereby the blade is strongly and rigidly backed so as to best overcome the inertia of the snow.

With the foregoing and certain other objects in view, which will appear later in the specification, my invention comprises the devices described and claimed and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view. partly diagrammatic, showing a truck embodying my invention in a preferred form..-

the blade being shown in its ordinary working position.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional side elevation. taken on the line 2P-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2a is a rear view of the machine, showing the blade in raised position.

Fig. 3 is a front view partly broken away. showing in dotted lines certain of the Various positions into which the blade can be moved in a vertical plane.

Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive are diagrammatic representations of various applications of the device to difierent kinds of work.

The specific details shown herein are merely typical of suitable embodiments of the invention, being those employed in machines that are now in successful operation.

Mountedon the truck frame 1 in any convenient place, preferably at oneside thereof, is a bearing 2 in which is an upright pillar 3. The top of the pillar, which is preferably at about the height of the top of the truck cab 4, is stiffened by an A-frame 5 and associated braces that extend down to the chassis at the other side of the truck. To sustain the pillar in the hearing at the desired height a collar 6 is clamped to the pillar and seated on the bearing.

Projecting laterally from the upper part of the pillar is a jibor arm 7 that can be our I swung through an angle in a horizontal plane. The pillar 3 preferably turns with the jib 7 but-may be stationary, in which case the jib is pivoted to the top of the pillar.

Loose on the pillar above a collar 6a and fixed thereto is a stand-off fender comprising a sleeve 8 formed with a lug 8a pivoted to a laterally projecting arm 9 that 'can'be raised and lowered at its outer end, as indicated by the broken lines at 9 in Fig. 3. v. To the outer end of arm 9 is pivoted a scraper blade 10 of any suitablecrosssectional shape. The pivot 11 is preferably located at about the geometric center of the blade so that the outer end of the blade can be raised or lowered, as indicated bythe dotted lines at 10a and its inner end will be corre spondingly'moved.

Sheaves 12, 13 may be mounted upon the blade near its upper edge and close to its ends. On each sheave is rove one of a pair of chains or flexible cables 14, 15. Preferably, each cable is fastened at one end to the jib 7 and extends downward, around the appropriate sheave, and thence up to the jib again. and around a second sheave 16, 17 that e is mounted on the jib, and thence by way of a thirdsheave 18, 19 which is supported on the framework 5 carried by the chassis, to a pow- ,er-driven drum mounted in a gear case 20.

There are'two drums 21, 22, one for each cable. I

The drums may be operated together atthe same speed so as to'raise-and lower the scrap- .er blade in horizontal position, raising with the outer end of the lower radial arm 9, or one drum may be run faster than the other to raise one end, as 10a of the blade higher than the other, or only one drum may be employed to tilt the blade. Since the power drums and the mechanism by which they are operated are known in the art of road scraping and crane handling machinery, and since they do not form any part ofmy claimed invention,

.those elements are not illustrated in detail herein, their locations being indicated diagrammatically- It will be sufficient to understand that either of the'cables may be hauled in or let out by suitable means to .raise. and lower either end or both ends of thescraperblade. The blade-operators station, containing the usual hoist-control le vers, is preferably located on thetruck chassis rearward ofthe blade 10.

in ordinary use the scraper blade is set atan angle of about forty five degrees rear.-

ward of a horizontal line assumed to extend transversely to the direction of travel'along the roadway, as shown in Fig. 1. An extensible brace 23 is connected by a universal approximately at its center near pivot 11 and is pivoted to bracket 2% at about midway between the pivotal points of the other two braces 23, 25. The points of attachment A, B, C-of the three braces to the back of the blade define, as will be understood from Figsfil, 2, 2a and 3, a triangular figure, and 7 their rear points of attachment to the chassis may be roughly considered as representing two of the threetriangles that form the sides of a hypothetical pyramid. "The approximately triangular-shaped structures so produced afiord the greatest strength and,

stiffness as a backing for the blade. Each of the three braces 23, 25, 26' is extensible so that the blade 10 can be moved to any position, ranging from the one shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to approximately ninety degrees ahead of that position, as indicated by the dotted line 10 in Fig. 1. This latter position is sometimes adopted for scraping snow from the side of the highway onto the road-bed.

The braces 23, 25, 26 and the jib supporting pillar 3 may all be fastened directly to the chassis 1 of the truck, but I prefer, for

structural reasons and to prevent springing the chassis members out of alinement, to provide a sub-frame 27 upon which the necessary blade manipulatingjdevices are mounted. The sub-frame 27 can be placed upon the chassis frame or removed at will.

In the drawings I have illustrated diagrammatically a number of ways in which a snow scraping blade mounted according to my invention can be used. In Fig. 4 the blade 10 is shown as scraping snow from a bank, produced by a snow-plow, into the I roadway. "Fig. 5 shows the blade scraping off the top of a berm of snow and depositing the surplus on the side 'of'the bank remote from the roadway. Fig. .6 shows the blade raised to its greatest height and arranged for scraping the top from a very deep berm and for passing over a mail-box or other obstruction. Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically the kind of cut that can be taken from a long bank of snow at the side of the road, indicating the mode of operating the blade when appropriately raised and lowered while the truck ismoved forward, in order that it may be kept in efficient operationby following, the contourfof the top of the bank instead of missing the low spots, as above described.

I have also'shown by dotted lines 106 in Fig. 1 the manner of folding the blade 10 from, a scraper blade suspended from the jib, means adapted to raise either end of the blade toward the jib and lower it therefrom, brace members movable with the blade and connecting said blade and chassis, an arm pivotally connected at its outer end to the blade at approximately the geometric center thereof, said arm pivoted at its inner end to the chassis for movement in a vertical plane and in a horizontal plane and lying closely adjacent the back of the blade, said arm constituting a stand-01f fender operative between the blade and chassis, for the purposes set forth.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stand-off fender is secured to the back face of the blade by a pivot located in substantially the mid-length of the blade.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fender is pivoted at its outer end to a pivot located on the back face of the blade, a bracket is carried on the chassis, and a pivotal connection is provided between the bracket and the inner end of the fender.

4- A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fender is pivoted at one end to the blade for angular movement relative thereto in a vertical plane, and is pivoted at its other end to a sleeve rotatably mounted on the chassis, for the purposes set forth.

5. A snow scraper comprising a vehicle, a jib carried by the vehicle and positioned above the chassis thereof to project laterally therefrom, a scraper blade suspended from the jib, means adapted to raise the blade toward the jib and lower it therefrom, diagonally disposed brace members swivel-connected at one end to the blade and at the other end to the chassis rearward of the blade, and a stand-off fender hinge-connecting the central portion of the blade and the chassis in a manner to permit free movement of adjustment of the blade vertically and horizontally, and also to permit relative angular movement of rotation of the blade with respect to the stand off fender for the purposes set forth.

6. In combination, a vehicle chassis, an upright post secured to the chassis at one side thereof, a jib mounted for swinging movement in a horizontal plane at the upper end'of said post, a scraper blade freely suspended from said jib by cables attached to the inner and outer end portions of the blade respectively, cable actuating means, a

pair of approximately parallel braces pivoted at their outer ends respectively to the outer, upper and lower corners of the blade, the inner ends of said braces being pivoted to the chassis in vertically spaced relation, a third brace swiveled at one end to the blade at approximately the geometric center thereof and pivoted at its other end to the chassis substantially between the pivotal points of said pair of braces, an arm pivoted at its outer end to the blade adjacent said central swivel and pivotally connected at its inner end to the chassis adjacent the bottom of said post, said arm adapted for movement in a vertical plane and in a horizontal plane and lying closely adjacent the back of the blade.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JOSEPH REMINGTON. 

